Wafer Heating Shield Unit for Uniform Temperature and Particle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid processing apparatuses face challenges in uniformly heating semiconductor wafers during high-temperature processing, particularly in raising the temperature of the central part of the wafer while effectively preventing particle adhesion on the surface.
Innovation Solution
A liquid processing apparatus with a shield unit that includes a heating part to heat the substrate through an opposed plate and a heated gas supplying part to supply heated gas to the substrate's surface, ensuring uniform heating and particle suppression by introducing gas that is heated within the shield unit and directed to both the peripheral and central areas of the wafer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a gas is supplied to suppress particle adhesion on the substrate surface, then particle adhesion is prevented, but the gas is not heated and cannot contribute to substrate heating
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature parameter of the gas is changed from ambient temperature to heated temperature. The gas supply system is integrated with a heating mechanism that raises the gas temperature before it contacts the substrate, allowing the gas to simultaneously prevent particle adhesion and contribute to substrate heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The heated gas supply system performs multiple functions: it suppresses particle adhesion on the substrate surface (original function) and simultaneously heats the central part of the substrate (new function). This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the gas both a protective medium and a heating medium.
2Temperature
If the processing liquid is heated in advance to heat the substrate, then heating capability is improved, but the heating is still limited to the peripheral portion where the liquid is supplied
Solution Approach 1:
The heating area is segmented into two zones: the peripheral portion heated by the hot processing liquid and the central part heated by the heated gas. This segmentation allows the heated area to be expanded to cover the entire substrate surface, resolving the contradiction between liquid temperature and heated area.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus achieves high-temperature processing of the entire wafer while effectively suppressing particle adhesion on the surface, ensuring efficient and uniform heating of both the peripheral and central regions.
Implementation Method 1
a heating part to heat the substrate through the opposed plate
Implementation Method 2
a heated gas supplying part to supply heated gas to a surface of the substrate held by the holding part
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a liquid processing apparatus and a liquid processing method, which can process an entire wafer at a sufficiently high temperature and can sufficiently suppress adhesion of particles on a surface of the wafer, when the peripheral portion of the wafer is processed. The liquid processing apparatus includes a holding part to hold the substrate, a rotation driving part to rotate the holding part, and a shield unit. The shield unit includes an opposed plate opposed to the substrate held by the holding part, a heating part to heat the substrate through the opposed plate, and a heated gas supplying part to supply heated gas to a surface of the substrate held by the holding part.